Roll-top desk.



rre rrares ROLL-TOP DESK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 673,853, dated May 7, 1901.

Application filed November l0, 1900. Serial No. 36,046. (No model.)

T0 MZ whom it may concern:

Bo it known that I, SAMUEL C. WHERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olewein, in the county of Fayette and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Rolling/Pop Desk, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to improve the construction and to facilitate the operation of a rolling top and an adjustable table in the top portion of a desk as required to promote convenience in repeatedly opening, using, and closing the desk as required to placej in and take out papers, doc., at different times.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of a flexible cover, endless belts, a sliding table, and hinged brackets with the top portion vof a desk adapted for storing and protecting papers, doc., in such a manner that force applied for pulling out and pushing in the table will automatically operate the exible cover and the hinged brackets, as hereinafter set forth.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a transverse central sectional view of a desk, showing the relative positions of the different operative parts when the desk is'closed. Dotted lines indicate their positions when the desk is open. Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the desk to which the brackets are hinged as required to be automatically operated by the sliding table and to support the table when it is drawn out at the front of the desk, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a detail view showing one of the brackets in position as required to support the table and part of' the bracket broken away to disclose a camgroove and a cam projecting from the table into the groove. Fig. Llis atop view of a hinged bracket, showi ing the cam-groove.

The letter A designates the back, A2 the front, A3 one of the ends, and A4 the dat top, of a desk, all rigidly xed together in any suitable way. A plurality of pigeonholes B are formed in the top portion of the desk immediately under the fixed top A4 and over a xed bottom. Under said iixed bottom is a sliding table C, supported upon crosspieces C2, that are fixed to the mating ends A5 or in any suitable Way. On the top of the sliding table and across its ends are fixed endless belts d (preferably flexible steel straps) by means of screws or in any suitable Way. These lflexible belts are placed on rollers f, pivoted to the inside faces of the fixed mating ends A3 of the desk at the four corners of the compartment above the sliding table C by means of screws, as shown in Fig. l, or in any suitable Way in such a manner that when the table is pulled out or pushed in the belts Will slide on the rollers.

H is a flexible cover composed of strips of Wood or other suitable material that extend parallel to each other and have ahnged connection with each other. The ends of this flexible cover are fixed to the flexible belts d in such a manner that when the table C is pulled out the cover will be rolled up under the fixed top A4, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l, and as required to open the front of the desk for gaining access to the pigeonholes and their contents, and when the table is pushed in the flexible cover Will be automatically returned to its normal position as required to close the desk Without touching and manually operating any other portion of the mechanism.

Mating brackets J and J"l are hinged to the front of the desk, as shown in Fig. 2, in such a manner that when the desk is closed they will overlie the front face of the desk and their top edges Will contact with the bottom face of the front edge portion of the sliding table C. In the top faces of the brackets are cam-grooves m, and projecting from the bottom of the table are fixed pins a, that traverse the cam-grooves when the table is pulled out in such a manner that the brackets will be thereby automatically swung outward into position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l, to support the table. A reverse movement of the table as required to close the desk will return the brackets to their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 2. The flexible cover, the sliding table, and the hinged brackets are thus jointly operated to open and close the desk, to adjust the table as required for use when the desk is open,and to adj ust the hinged brackets as required to support the table when projected forward for use While the desk is open.

Having described the construction, func- IOO tions, and arrangement and combination of the different parts, the practical operation and utility of myinvention will be readily understood by persons familiar with the art to Which it pertains, and

What I claim as new, and desire vto secure by United States Letters Patent, is-

1. In a desk having,r a flat top, a flexible cover for the front top portion, a sliding fable under the flexible cover, flexible belts fixed to the ends of the flexible cover and the ends of the sliding table and rollers to support the flexible belts in the end portions of the desk, arranged and combined to operate in the mannel' set forth fox` the purposes stated.

2. In a desk, a slidingr table having fixed pins projecting downward into cam-grooves in brackets, brackets having cam-grooves in their tops hinged to the front of the desk, an adjustable flexible cover, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

3. A desk having pigeonholes in its top portion, an opening at its front and top portion, a sliding table at the bottom of said open portion, pins projecting downward from the table to enter cam-grooves in hinged brackets, brackets hinged to the front of the desk and provided with cam-grooves, flexible belts fixed to the end portions of the sliding table and also to the ends of a flexible cover, rollers in the corners of the top portion of the desk to support and direct said belts and a flexible cover for the open front, all arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

SAML. C. WHERRY.

Witnesses:

B. T. GRIFFITH, ADAM SMITH. 

